In this sermon, I preached from Titus 2 on the subject, “The Local Church is Ground-Zero for Discipleship.” I trust you will be encouraged as you think about the fact that Paul left Titus in Crete to strengthen local churches rather than build conventions, associations, or conferences.

Why Some People Aren’t Christians — Tim Challies thinks through evangelism encounters and asks, “With all of this evangelism and all these opportunities for salvation, why don’t people become Christians? Here are a few reasons I’ve observed in recent interactions.”

The Moment of Truth: Its Reality — “Your eternal destiny is determined by the truth. Your relationship to the truth will determine where you will spend all eternity. Your relationship to the truth will determine whether you are in heaven or in hell forever.”

My Little Daughter: A Father’s Glimpse into the Heart of God — “When God made two sexes, he put into place four distinct kinds of parent-child relationships: father-son, mother-daughter, mother-son, and father-daughter. Because men and women are not the same (but complementary), and boys and girls are different, we find distinct, often subtle, always powerful aspects to the love shared in these four kinds of relationships.”

A Humble Soul Overlooks His Own Righteousness — “Men may do much, hear much, pray much, fast much, and give much, &c., and yet be as proud as Lucifer, as you may see in the Scribes, Pharisees, Mat. 23, and those in Isa, 58:3, who in the pride of their hearts made an idol of their own righteousness: ‘Wherefore have we fasted,’ say they, ‘and thou seest it not? wherefore have we afflicted our souls, and thou takest no knowledge?’”

The Friday afternoon questions and answers session from the 2018 G3 Conference included a great conversation between several of the speakers within the conference—on various topics related to discipleship, preaching, and other important issues.

Why Is the Abortion Industry Run by Women? — “We can’t debate our way out of this madness because self-destructive frenzy can only be dealt with by prayer and fasting. Rational arguments and reasoned discourse don’t work on insanity. But we can look to Christ who is certainly capable of taking us by the hand and lifting us up.”

Does James 2:24 Deny Justification by Faith Alone? — “I’m convinced that we don’t really have a conflict here. What James is saying is this: If a person says he has faith, but he gives no outward evidence of that faith through righteous works, his faith will not justify him.”

How Can We Know That the Bible is from God? — “All those who desire to obey God will know by the very words of the Bible that it is indeed from God himself. There is no lack of proof for the truthfulness of the Bible, rather the problem lies in the sinful blindness of all those who willfully continue in their rebellion against God.”

You may or may not have read Paul Tripp’s book titled, “Parenting.” In the 2018 G3 Conference, Paul Tripp preached on that very subject and it’s a sermon that you will want to take-in with much prayer.

What Is the Covenant of Redemption? — “The Bible has much to say about God’s activity “before” the world was made. The Bible speaks often of God’s eternal counsel, of His plan of salvation and the like.”

C. J. Mahaney Withdraws from T4G — “Following Rachael Denhollander’s Sovereign Grace claims, the former SGM president once again says he wants to avoid distracting from the biennial conference.”

I Believe! — “Belief is the gateway to the Christian life but it is far more than that. I believed in the day I put my faith in Jesus—a once-for-all belief that can never be removed or revoked. But belief is also a decision I need to make day by day and circumstance by circumstance. The longer I live as a Christian, the more I find myself declaring to myself, ‘I believe.’ Especially in moments of sorrow, loss, or confusion: ‘I believe.'”

In the 2018 G3 Conference, Paul Tripp spoke on the subject of “Parenting.” In session 6, his topic was titled, “It Takes a Disciple to Parent a Disciple.” You will find this extremely helpful for you as you make disciples in your home.

Conference Week: Today the Shepherds’ Conference begins in California and tomorrow Ligonier will begin their National Conference in Florida. You can watch Shepherds’ Conference online on their website. If you’re at the Ligonier Conference, I will be there as well and hope to see you.

10 Lessons on Parenting Big(ger) Kids — Tim Challies’ oldest turned 18, and he has provided some tips for parenting older children. He writes, “So here are a few things we’ve been learning along the way (all of which we pilfered from the parents we have admired and did our best to imitate).”

Five Reasons to Include Women on Your Church Staff — “Having a woman on staff who is theologically mature and wise can be a great asset. She can keep the pastors informed of what women are reading—both the good and the bad. This allows the pastor to encourage helpful books and curriculum as well as caution people against materials that are problematic.”

You Don’t Have to Give Your Kid a Phone — “‘My daughter is thirteen years old, and she doesn’t have a cell phone.’ I said those words from the platform at a women’s event and was surprised at the sharp intake of breath all over the room.”

In the 2018 G3 Conference, my sermon was from Titus 2—”The Church is Ground-Zero for Discipleship.” It was my goal to point out the need for the local church and to remind everyone that Paul never charged Titus with organizing a Christian parachurch ministry or a conference. He left Titus in Crete to strengthen local churches. I trust you will find the sermon profitable.

Honoring the Legacy of Billy Graham — Alistair Begg writes, “Billy Graham’s faithfulness to his wife and children bears fruit today, and his personal integrity serves as a model for all to emulate.”

The Incredibles, Cars … and The Pilgrim’s Progress: Interview with a Pixar Artist — Tim Challies writes, “Garrett Taylor [is] an artist who works at Pixar Animation Studios and has been involved in some of their most important films. As a side project, he developed some beautiful maps of Christian’s journey to the Celestial City, and we are thrilled to now offer them in our Visual Theology store. Here is an interview I recently completed with Garrett in which he tells about his work, his salvation, and his illustrations of Bunyan’s world.”

All sessions from the 2018 G3 Conference as slowly appearing on the G3 YouTube channel. You can now watch this great conversation between James White and Michael Kruger on the biblical canon.

God’s Love for Pastors — “The more young pastors I speak with, the more I realize that crushing experiences are the norm. It’s constant. ‘Didn’t think it would be like this.'”

God’s Glory, Our Good — “What is in God’s best interests is also in others’ best interests and in my best interests, not necessarily immediately but always in the end. Something that is good will be good for everyone, not good for God and bad for me, or good for me and bad for my neighbor. Each time I obey God, I’m doing what’s ultimately best for all.”

How Not to Do Theology — “Our theology will determine what happens to us for all eternity, so it is important to engage it rightly. That means knowing how not to do theology as much as knowing how to do it. So, what are some ways that we should not do theology.”

How God Changes Hearts for His Glory — “As Spurgeon saw it, the new birth of a Christian has to be a work of pure divine grace: the sinful human heart is impotent, unwilling, and wholly unworthy.”

A Word About DBG

Delivered By Grace is a theology blog that focuses on theology, SBC, preaching, the church, and many issues within the Christian life. Delivered By Grace is edited by Josh Buice and contributed to by various other preachers and writers. Unless otherwise noted, articles are written by Josh Buice.

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